


eternal sin

by Ultron989



Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:13:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28974921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ultron989/pseuds/Ultron989
Summary: existence to you morals is so grand but to a god it is but a grain of sand  and they are nothing to me so tell me miss Ortiz why is it that something that should be nothing is sooo much more interesting to me then them and i hope you can help me find out
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is a major step for me and my friends so i would humbly ask for your input and feedback when moving forward i hope you enjoy

Paz groaned as she felt warm light shining through the thin, holey blanket she’d set up as a makeshift door to her even more makeshift shack. She sat up slowly, groaning tiredly and rubbing her face and grumbled, “Ahh maldición, una chica no puede dormir un poc…” **  
**

Stretching languidly, and listening to the cascade of pops and cracks as a spine that had slept on something crappy stretched out, she looked around her shack in her usual wary manner. It was mostly empty as usual, except for some ratty clothes in a rough pile to one side, an old pair of shoes with as much duct tape inside of them as anything else and other random trash. Satisfied no one had robbed her in her sleep, at least this time, she yawned one last time and forced herself up.

Most of her clothes were filthy, of course, but she sifted through the pile of her crap to find at least the least dirty option to tug on for the day.

She kept one hand shading her eyes as she slipped out of her shack and into the bright sun, beating down on her as it often did. The voices of her fellow street rats reached her as she shuffled along, all the typical laughing, arguments and teasing telling her no one had died overnight, at least. So it was just another day like any other, surviving the ‘City of Dreams’ as people oh so loved to call it for whatever reason…

But whatever their reasons were, if you were a rat it was better referred to as the City of Snakes. 

It was dangerous, filled with snakes from bottom to the venomous top. And each and every one of them were only too ready to swallow each and every one of them whole if they let them. Even at the top, the world was a viper’s nest, every person’s words dripping venom that was lethal to everyone except their friends. And even them, sometimes.

But the thing about rats was that there were a lot of them, and you could hide in the numbers.

So to her it was home, even if it was one that tried to kill her once or twice every week or so. Or even thrice on an off week. And even if it was nasty, and loud, and cold for the better part of the year. Still, it could be a decent life, if you knew where you were and what you were doing. And if you managed to find a good crew.

And speaking of, hers were waiting on the riverbank…

She could hear them arguing before she finished shambling down the grassy hill that ran alongside the snakey river and sighed, calling out, "Can't you guys go ten minutes without arguing?”

Her words and sudden, just a bit late arrival made them all stiffen and look at her for a few moments before they decided everything was fine and started laughing.

"You're one to talk." A taller man snorted, scratching at his nose idly and adding. He was tall, but he was a rat like the rest of them, so he was lanky and covered in cuts, scrapes and old scars. And his clothes were ratty, of course, if normal enough look aside from the old, mostly duct tape at this point, paper boy hat he wore everywhere he could get away with. "You start more arguments than most of the people here could in a week."

He laughed and the others joined him, but Paz merely crossed her arms and huffed angrily.

Not wanting to prove his point, she joined them on the riverbank, washing off her arms and face while they all did the same. Actual baths were rare for rats, but you took what you could get… And sometimes, that meant a cold ass river wash. Or, if you were lucky, you had a bucket you could collect some water in and a fire to have at least a warm wash. Even if it was still river water, the warmth alone could let you pretend otherwise.

"Either way, Paz, we were just talking about a new score that might be worth a fistful or two." Greg said, rushing to add, when her eyes narrowed, “Don’t worry, nothing too big. Enough to get on easy for a while, but that’s it.”

“Good. That's… Good.” She sighed. It was her one golden rule. Never win big enough for the house to notice you and care. "It'd better not be trying to steal from Victor, either. We all know he's off limits to everyone. Rats, snakes, whatever."

"Do I look mental to you? No it's not god damn Victor, but from what we've seen he's high class and carrying something worth a handful, with all the shit he’s got tryin’ to keep it safe." Greg said, smiling a wide toothy grin. "And we were talking about how to steal it, before you got here."

Paz looked at the others for a moment, reading the various levels of confidence in Mesa and Emile’s faces. They were both gaunt, like her and Greg, and filthy, dressed in whatever scrappy clothes they’d managed to find or steal. But aside from the normal nerves and anxiety, both seemed pretty confident in what they were hearing. Enough that Paz was pretty sure that whether she agreed or not, they would be doing this anyway. Downside of having a crew was, if they did something, you did too.

And sometimes, that sucked.

"Well, if he's not too high up maybe we could give it a shot and keep us fed for a while." She sighed, taking the second to suck in a steadying breath. "Tell me what you got, then." 

“Well, like every fancy ass in this city, he doesn’t like being crowded. I’ve only seen a few guards with him. They’re armed, but he keeps ‘em pretty far away from him. Dunno why, probably a dumb reason.” Greg shrugged, smiling thinly, “But one big hole he has is this little cafe he likes. Fancy place, stops in to make calls or something. Guards stay outside, but the case goes with him.”

“Why do they stay out?”

“No idea.” He shrugged again, “Probably doesn’t want ‘em crowding him in the cafe, or hearing the call.”

“Because that’s normal…” Emile murmured to himself, waving her off when she paid him a curious look and eased back on the bank, at least clean enough for now not to stress until she could get a real bath in.

“Either way, that’s the best chance for us to grab the case and get a head start out the back before the guards get after us.” Greg cut in, “Best way is probably to-”

“Bean him on the head and slip out before he realizes we took the case.” The details there would need to be hashed out, but that would have to be an on the ground kind of thing. Instead, she asked, “Any idea who this guy is anyway?”

At that Greg and the rest of the crew began giving her different possibilities of what he was ranging from a high paid butler or something, to a rich guy that only appears every five years for some reason. And of course the craziest idea, that he was some kind of demon or something, came from Mesa.

They all laughed at that, because what else could they do?

And it was a very Mesa thing to say, too.

”Something still feels off, though...“ She said, crossing her arms and bouncing her leg anxiously. When she noticed the weird looks she was getting she raised an eyebrow and asked, quietly, “What?”

“Any time we have a chance to score big you always say you don't like it, Paz. It’s kinda your thing.” Mesa huffed, waving a hand at the rest of them and going on, ”I mean, we get it, Paz, we do. Ya steal something too valuable and you'll end up on some list. But this is the only way we get outta this hell.”

“Yeah.” Emile answered, “Some time or another, you gotta roll the dice.”

“Okay, fine, whatever, so this guy only shows up every five years or something." Paz said in a sarcastic tone, chuckling under her breath. "Means he's probably got plenty of enemies he’ll probably blame instead of us, so if you're all certain you wanna do this...”

Looking around, she didn’t see any doubt from her friends so, after a few moments, she sighed.

“Then let’s steal the damn thing.” She finally gave in, rolling her eyes through the cheer that rolled through her crew. Her crew rushed to crush her in a hug she flailed through, grunting to escape, “Plan! We need a p-plan!”

In the end, it took a couple of days for them to sort out a plan that was at least full enough for her not to have a panic attack just thinking about it and then get to work on actually doing it. Observing the man’s habits didn’t really offer much up, beyond what Greg and the others had figured out. Whoever the guy was, he was such a creature of habit that Paz almost felt sorry for him. He had to have some kind of condition or something, with how strict he was to keeping to his patterns.

Not that that was her problem.

So here the man was, as always, sitting on the phone with the case on the floor and his guards left outside to wait on him. They could see him through the wide window of the cafe’s front but mostly kept their eyes outside, on the sidewalk and the street. After such a long time running on the same routine, they’d feel confident the cafe was safe, after all. So why would they keep an eye on the inside?

That was also why Paz had stolen a uniform and slipped in, posing as an employee and cleaning the tables behind customers as they left. It wasn’t perfect, and she’d caught more than one customer murmuring about how ‘rugged’ she looked, but the manager was busy in a meeting for the next hour. So she was safe, at least until then.

And hey, she was collecting tips, too.

All she needed now was to wait until the man looked away, slip the case onto her little cleaning cart, and head to the back. Stick it in a trash bag and she’d be gone with… Whatever the hell it was. Curious, and close enough to do it, she listened in on the call to see if she could pick out clues as to what it was. And who might be interested in buying it off them when they got away with it.

“Yes, yes, yes, I understand that we’re one short. But how could I have known what was going to happen?” The man went quiet for a moment as someone said something to him and then scowled, “Obviously, I didn't expect that kind of damage. But don't worry about it, I have the replacement scouted out thoroughly already. I just wish we had more time to work with so we could properly prepare it ahead of-”

He winced, suddenly, yanking the phone away like he was being screamed at, pinching the bridge of his nose with his other hand like he was fending off a headache.

“Y-Yes of course I'll do better next time.” The man promised, turning to look out the window like he expected to be shot or something. “I promise, sir, nothing like that will sneak up on us again. No, I won't…”

The man was distracted now, so she took a deep breath and stood up, slipping the bottle of cleaning spray into her trash and calling over to the waiters, “I need to head to the back. Out of spray for the table.”

“Sure.” The distracted woman nodded, shuffling back, “Just hurry back.”

As she pushed the trolley by she stooped just a bit to snag the case and then stood in the same motion, slipping it into the trash bag and smiling as she made her way. A black backpack was waiting for her outside when she slipped out to ‘run the trash out’ and she shoved the stolen case into it before peeling her pilfered uniform off, kicking it under a dumpster while she straightened the jeans and hoodie she’d been wearing under it. Thin, ratty hood tucked up around her ears and pack on her back, she slipped onto the street and started a long, calm walk up to where her friends were waiting for her.

She was about halfway there when she heard the man come out onto the crowded, noisy street and scream at his guards. Looking over her shoulders she saw the men nod and then fish out their phones, checking them for something before they both bolted down the street the same way she’d gone. How the hell they knew which way she’d gone, she didn’t know, but she’d planned for this just in case.

Better safe than dead, after all.

Taking off at a sprint, she heard the bodyguards call for her to stop and then start to threaten her. But even in the sparse crowds on this street she knew they wouldn’t shoot at her, they’d be risking hitting random people. Rounding a corner onto a much busier road she grabbed a railing and used it to slip into a shadow with another friend of theirs, Nia, who was dressed just like her. Slipping out she took off down the road while Paz slid to the floor, waited, and hoped.

After a couple long minutes, she saw the guards shoot by, phones traded out for large, silver handguns while they followed her doppelganger. She felt a pang of worry for her friend but the plan was just for her to head for the end of the road and then stop and let them search her. The goons couldn’t just shoot a girl in the street, even a rat would get a lot of attention if that happened to them, so they’d have to let her go.

Once they were gone enough she slipped out and smiled, fishing out one of the two phones the group had between them and mashing out a message on the old, broken keypad. “N has ‘em. Heading home.”

“They checked their phone and turned around.” Greg sent back as soon as she sent the message. “Run.”

She blinked and spared a look over her shoulder and, true enough, the two guards were running back up the street, searching for her. She swore under her breath and took off down the road, looking for an alley or something she could slip down. Find a place to hide.

Chest heaving, she slipped around a corner and onto Golden Glen, a wealthy little shopping district constantly thronged by easy marks. Today was no different and she pushed through the throng, hoping that she was short enough and the crowds were busy enough to hide her. A look over her shoulder told her she was at least slowing them down, but one of the men had his phone out and seemed to know exactly where she was going?

Did the case have a tracker in it or something? Damn it...

With that in mind, she wasn’t ashamed to say she started to panic, shoving through the crowd without a care in the world for what was in front of her. Kids cried, parents snarled, and others there to work or visit on their own called names and swears after her. Soon, though, that changed to warnings and calls for her to stop. Why, she didn’t know until she slammed headlong into what very much felt like a solid steel wall.

She tried to slip around it but felt hands on her shoulders, holding her in iron grips. She struggled and grunted, “What are you doing? Can’t you see I’m trying to-”

“Run away?” A cold, terrifyingly familiar voice asked. “Yes, I can.”

“V-Victor…” She murmured, staring up and into the red-eyed, impassive mask of the single most terrifying person in the city.

Paz was frozen in fear, every instinct in her body absolutely screaming at her to run. To vanish into the crowd and then find somewhere to hide. But with that crimson gaze on her she just couldn't bring herself to move. Her legs wouldn’t do anything except tremble, and she couldn’t say anything either, the words backing up in her throat like they were scared of the masked man, too.

Victor was more than easy to recognize since his face was always covered by that strange mask, and because he wore an incredibly odd, old uniform she didn’t recognize. She remembered someone mentioning something about Germany once upon a time, but the rat had vanished before anyone could ask what he meant. It only added to the terror he radiated, somehow, and that was all that mattered right then.

At least the guards that had been chasing her were keeping as wide a berth from the man as everyone else was, though.

But then again she was fairly certain that was just because everyone, herself included, was sure Victor wasn’t about to liberally repaint the ground in a fresh coat of ‘ala Paz’. So she couldn’t really feel too relieved about it. But for a long time, he just… Stared at her, until he finally let go of her shoulders and leaned back, crimson eyes still boring into her own.

Silent as the grave, he held a hand out for her and, terrified of what would happen if she didn’t, she took it.

“You really should be more aware of your surroundings, Miss Ortiz.” He said quietly, dragging her over to a nearby table at one of the open-air cafes that dotted the high end area's center. As they walked, the crowd shifted away from them, watching worriedly until he sighed, “I do despise an audience…”

Just like that, the crowd was moving again, doing their level best to pretend not to even see the masked man.

Taking a seat at the table, he let her go and she turned, intent on bolting on the spot until he asked, “Would you please sit, Miss Ortiz? I do hate having to chase people… It makes me rather agitated.”

She froze, rooted to the spot. You didn’t offend Victor and live…

So, quietly, she took a seat and murmured, “S-Sorry.”

“Mhm, you would be, wouldn’t you?” The masked man hummed, turning to where the guard was doing his utmost to pretend to not be paying them any mind, just taking a seat at a table for a drink. “I think that is quite enough, Sir. you’ll spoil my tea.”

She’d never seen an eight foot tall bodyguard scurry before, but she couldn’t help but laugh when he did. Which earned a dry little chuckle from Victor as well, one that chilled her to the very core.

For a long time, the man didn’t say anything, just sipping his tea and reading from a little book. He didn’t ask if she wanted anything, or order anything for her, simply eating and drinking like she wasn’t there. But every time she moved like she was going to leave, or at all, really, he’d pay her a hard, dark crimson look that stilled her.

Finally, after twenty minutes, she worked up the courage to ask, “C-Can I go?”

“Now, now.” Victor sighed, “You worked hard to steal that case, didn’t you? You should at least look inside.”

“W-What case-”

“Do not lie to me, please.” He snapped, meeting her eyes, “I dislike liars, you see. So open it. You must be curious.”

“Not reall-”

“And I am too.” He cut her off, drumming a finger impatiently on the table. “So, open it.”

Hesitantly, she did, coughing as a weird kind of mist sprayed her in the face. Standing and staggering away, she coughed and fell while the masked man hummed. As her vision swam and darkened, she heard a last, aggravated sigh. And then a chuckle, as hands found her shoulders and helped her to the ground without falling outright.

“Well, that’s interesting, at least…”


	2. ch 2 a bloodly good show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> new prized item for sales its a shame someone already reserved it

Paz didn't know how long she had been out when she finally came to, or how far she’d been moved, or even which of her friends were okay. Assuming  _ any of them  _ were, of course, 

She awoke in a large and empty white room, kind of like a hospital room with sterile tiles and a single dominating fluorescent light. She wasn’t in a bed, though. Instead she was laying on the floor, her vision swimming and head full of fog. She tried to raise herself up after a few seconds spent blinking against the light, but her body felt like it had been through  _ hell _ and did little more than twitch weakly.

“Damn it… Just… Why can’t I move, damn it!?” She growled, trying to force herself to move. Suddenly, the door opened and slammed shut again while someone clapped quietly and chuckled. Sighing, she growled, "Wha-what the hell’s so damn funny asshole."

When they answered, it was in a  _ painfully  _ familiar voice.

“You know when this month started I thought I was  _ definitely _ gonna die some kind of horrible way. Maybe fed to somebody's pet lion, or ground up into fertilizer for some rich bitches’ garden, but then you happened and I found myself a golden God damn ticket!” The man she’d stolen the case from laughed when she forced her head to turn to look at him. Growling, she tried to move again, just managing to force one of her legs to turn while he laughed. "Don't bother, kid, the drugs are still in your system. And we don’t want you to hurt yourself. You might depreciate your value if you do, after all.”

“Depreciate…?”

“Oh yes, yes.” He laughed, sounding relieved and greedy as he paced by the door. “In just a few hours, you’ll go up on stage and earn me  _ plenty _ of cash!”

“On stage…” Shit… She felt her stomach sinking, but forced on a tough smile and sneered, “I-If you think I'm gonna do tricks for you like some kinda show dog, then you’re a bigger dumbass than you look. And you look pretty god damn dumb, so that’d be impressive.”

The man only laughed, though, which made her stomach sink even further.

"W-What's so goddamn funny?" She hissed, “Why are you laughing?”

“Oh, you really don’t know, do you? You have  _ no _ idea what you stepped in?” He smiled, wiping a mirthful tear from his eye and chuckling darkly as he paced over to her and knelt so he could stare down into her face. “Stupid kid… This isn’t some game where I make you into some cheap whore or something and pass you off to one of my men to earn off. No, no, you stepped in bigger than that, kid.”

“Bigger?”

“Mhm. And you wanna know the funny reason why?” She only glared, but he seemed intent on answering the question for her. To mock her, she figured, which only made her angrier. “ _ You _ ran into Victor. And most people that do that end up a smear on the wall. And the floor. And the ceiling, too, if he’s in a bad mood.”

“But. You. Didn’t.” He smiled, prodding her shoulder with each word, “And  _ that _ weird little quirk drove your value through the damn  _ stratosphere _ . No one knows why he let you go. There’s all kinds of rumors about it, too, which means you’re the hottest item at the Auction.”

Her eyes widened, then, and she couldn’t help but stammer, “T-The Auction…? A-As in,  _ the _ Auction?”

Her words only made the man's smile change, turning a bit sad and sour in a way she didn’t quite get. Now, his words were more somber and withdrawn, almost  _ sad _ even, as he went on, ”And there's the realization. Well, that’s good. Means you have an idea about how bad this really is for you.”

“B-But I thought these were just myths!” She gasped, coughing on a suddenly dry throat. “Made up jokes t-to make the younger kids be more scared of the rich cats that would… Would do them wrong!”

“I thought the same thing once upon a time, back when I was… Younger. Less, well,  _ damaged _ than I am now.” He sighed, turning and staring off wistfully. “Hell, kid, I used to love auctions. Old paintings, statues, jewelry… I loved running auctions, selling ‘em off. But I did too well at it, and now every damn time my phone rings and its that fucking sack of shit on the other end. And I hate it, but I have to run their auction for ‘em.”

“Why are you telling me this…?” She murmured, “Why are you even in here, warning me at all?”

“I don’t know.” He said, scratching his head distractedly. “I’m only really telling you this cause I hate pretending to like this, and you're gonna be sold off soon enough, so I doubt you’ll get a chance to tell anyone.”

“Just call it venting, kid, and forget about it.” He looked at her again, his once smiling face now just tired and depressed, as if he’d suddenly aged a few decades just in the time he’d spent in her… Cell. “”Either way, I was gonna have you cleaned up. But they want you as is, and, well, like I said I can't say no to them.”

“Y-You could let me go…” She tried, “Just let me walk, and I-I can handle the rest.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. And even if I did, we both know it wouldn’t matter.” He sighed, “They’ll run you down inside a couple weeks, and kill me for the effort, too. Might even go after those friends of yours, if they aren’t already. No, no, better to just… Make your peace with it.”

He gave her shoulder a gentle pat, almost like a father trying to reassure her everything would be alright, and then stood to leave.

As he walked out of the room the two guards standing by the door traded looks and then silently stalked over to Paz and knelt. Each wrapped an arm around hers and worked together to carry her out of the barren room. Heavy doors lined the hallway on either side, most of them locked up still until they’d been walking for a while and rounded a corner. Some of the doors here were open, now, and Paz stole a short glance at each room she could look into. One looked like a clothes shop of some kind, thronged by a few uniformed workers, while another looked like a fancy kind of make-up room where artists were busy at work on very unwilling looking models while guards watched.

“Eyes forward.” One of the guards grunted, shaking her a bit to force her attention back on the man she’d robbed as they walked.

“What do you mean you’re not coming?” The man snarled angrily, but sounded… Afraid, too. “Look, ‘that’ smug shit head really wants to buy this one and if you don’t come- Hello?! Hello?! Son-of-a-bitch!”

“Trouble in paradise?” She asked before she could catch herself.

He rounded on her but paused for a moment to compose himself, before he sighed. “Kid, that was the last hope you had of getting out of this place under a good deal. For you  _ or _ me. I have someone else that’s willing to pay for you”

“So?” She asked, “W-What’s that mean? Who’s the one that wants me?”

“Well, with any luck,  _ that person _ won’t come anywhere near here.” He sighed, shaking his head tiredly and then shrugging. “I really wish he’d just drop dead. Or go out of business. But unless the coops get a spine, or an  _ asteroid hits _ …”

He didn’t say anything after that, and, since she knew about everything she thought he’d tell her and that she couldn’t convince him to let her go, neither did she. But he continued to walk with her as they went, winding their way through halls passing by more prep rooms, storage rooms and rooms with their doors locked shut, and noises she did her best to ignore echoing from inside them.

Soon enough, she had a feeling she’d know what the noises were. But for now, she could ignore it.

Eventually they rounded a last corner into a wider hallway lit by warmer, but no less harsh, lights hanging high overhead. They kept on without a word, though, heading towards a set of large, heavy looking doors backed by metal that she could hear noises echoing through. These sounds were different, though. Less ‘screaming and pleading’ and more rhythm, music, and the dull roar of a crowd chattering away excitedly.

She hesitated, and her fright must have shown, because the man actually laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder and sighed, “Well, best to get it over with. I just hope that whatever kept those two was worth it. Do you want a second?"

“To…?

“Collect your thoughts. Make your peace.” He shrugged, “Hell, pray, scream, try and bolt. Nothing that will work, of course, but it might make you feel a bit better.”

“I mean if there’s no point…”

“Fair enough, kid, fair enough.” He sighed as he turned and gave her a last once-over. Shrugging when he was done, he turned and pushed the doors open.

The doors opened on a backstage area crammed with all the goings on and filled with people working. They seemed normal enough people for the most part, avoiding eye contact and trying to get by. But the thing that caught her eye was the sight of several dozen people, all dressed in a mix of splendid outfits, suits, or rags. She herself was wearing mostly simple clothes, dark jeans and a white hoodie. They were similar to what she’d had one before, actually, only… Cleaner, and new.

Which didn’t bode well, she suspected.

The collars were all the same, though. Metal, and firm looking, with tags hanging off the fronts like dog collars. Heavy chains ran from the backs, held by guards standing with them while workers finished preparing them for the auction. All of them looked terrified, some practically trembling, but most of them just stared at the floor emptily.

"You're going to wait here with these two absolutely  _ splendid _ guards while I get this damn auction going. Good? Good." He said with a grim tone and a forced smile, striding toward the curtain and pushing through, speaking over a dozen speakers. Why, hello there today, oh so very esteemed guests and ghouls, to this mystical, magical city of dreams! I’m your auctioneer and you may know me as Gabriel!”

“Today we have a great lineup of exotic, entertaining and, most importantly, new and ready to buy merchandise for you today.” Prompted by the words, one of the handlers holding the chains of the others yanked the young woman forward, almost dragging the woman through the curtain while she mouthed words silently. “This first interesting little item is a young woman named… Well, I’m not actually sure, but hey, you can name her whatever you want when  _ you _ have her chain in her hands!”

“Unfortunately, for those of you who like them  _ loud _ , this young miss is a mute. Which means that screams of whatever kind you wanna hear? Sadly, not going to happen.” She heard a few loud boos echo in from the crowd and Gabriel chuckled, “Yes, yes, I know. A disappointment to some but hey! I’m sure you lot can think of  _ something _ to use her for, you degenerates! Now, bids start at ten thousand!”

She was sold for fifteen thousand, eventually, and another young woman with impossibly pale skin and reddish eyes was dragged out to replace her.  _ She _ started at fifteen thousand instead of ten, but Paz tuned out the rest as the panic really started to set in, now.

She wanted to run, to scream, hell, she wanted to try and take a chunk out of one of the guards. She’d heard plenty of stories about what teeth could do to a man’s jugular, if you really wanted to go that way. Maybe if she did, some of the others would help her? Rise up and try to fight their way out, somehow?

But one look told her  _ that _ wouldn’t happen… They were all trembling like leaves, and while the first girl had begged and pleaded, the second hadn’t. And the third, a young man with what looked like scales sprouting randomly across his skin, didn’t either. Even if he was big enough she was pretty sure he  _ could _ have knocked the guard on him through a wall or two. But instead of any fire of resistance, or the look of someone waiting for a chance, all she saw was fear.

And resignation.

A few more were sold over the next half an hour, until the stock had been run about halfway through, and she was made to stand there all the while. At that point Gabriel announced a short break so that some of the buyers could collect their ‘purchases’ from backstage. And so the next few minutes were spent watching men and women in every kind of masks and helmets, all wearing fine clothes and bright jewelry, walking off with guards and terrified looking young men and women.

Then, Gabriel said, “And now, to start the next leg of tonight’s sale, I have someone a bit special to me. A little thief, smart enough to snatch off me, daring enough to  _ do it _ , and then fast enough to almost escape were it not for our  _ esteemed _ guest, and coincidentally most terrifying person in the city, Victor. I do hope you're enjoying your first night with us, my new friend!”

As soon as he stopped speaking, the guards grabbed her arms and started to haul her forward. And that was when she decided  _ fuck it _ and flew into a fury of arms and legs and  _ nails _ . The two men snarled, wrestling with her and pushing her towards the thick, red curtain. One lost his grip as they got close and she stole the moment to leap  _ onto _ the other and do what she’d thought the others should have done earlier.

The man screamed and flailed as her teeth sank into his shoulder but they finally came through the curtain and, with a snarl, the man hurled her to the floor. Before she could rise, the other guard was on her, knee resting between her shoulder blades to force her down. Still she tried to roll over, but the second pressed something against the side of her throat and suddenly she tasted iron and saw stars.

“-vicious little spitfire, isn’t she?” Gabriel was saying when she came to, hanging between the two guards who had an iron grip on her, now. He gave her a look and, even if she was dizzy enough she was sure she saw pride in his eyes. Turning back to the crowd he raised his hands in front of him like a circus ringleader and said, “As expected of someone with enough brass between their legs to rob our little enterprise here, isn’t it?”

Now, at least, she got a good view of the crowd that had come to this little  _ event _ . There were at least a thousand of them out there, scattered around and dressed so finely that it was like an awards show. Suits, dresses, fine food and drinks the likes of which she’d barely ever even seen on  _ billboards _ , it was amazing. It was shocking.

It was  _ terrifying _ .

Finally, her gaze came down to the seating area closest to the stage. And to a familiar man in a familiar suit. 

Victor looked… It was hard to explain, really. A cross between anxious and bored, somehow. He was drumming his fingers on the table he was sitting at by himself, one ankle resting on his knee while he seemed to just take in the room around him. When he caught her looking his way, he picked up the drink beside him and tipped it towards her as if to say hello.

She sucked in a breath and spat at him.

Nearly reached, too, but fell a foot short.

“O-Oh dear me, I apologize, sir!” Gabriel rushed to offer, waving a hand that summoned a cleaner immediately. As the woman worked, he offered, “If you would like it, we could see her punished for that, Sir?”

“No, no.” The man called out, laughing as he did and waving the matter off. “Please, don’t mind me right now. The night is young and there are much more interesting things in store for tonight than our little spitfire… Well,  _ spitting _ .”

“Quite right, good sir, and the evening draws on even now.” Gabriel smiled, and she could practically  _ feel _ his relief rolling off of him. Waving a hand at her, the auctioneer went on, “Well, as your no doubt refined palettes are sure to be able to see, this little woman has a fire in her that should make her far more  _ entertaining _ an acquisition. So, the bidding will start at fifty thousand instead of ten.”

There was a murmur of quiet surprise at that, and even Paz was confused. Why so much just for her? But the group seemed to collect themselves quickly enough, apparently even  _ more _ interested in her. She could see a handful of them looking aggravated, too, setting their little bidding paddles to the side. Most, though, just talked amongst themselves, until one raised their little paddle to take the starting position. Her heart hammered as the numbers climbed.

Sixty thousand, seventy thousand, a hundred, from someone she could barely see under the chained women they kept in their lap-

“I think that’s enough of that, don’t you?” A voice she didn’t recognize said as the hands holding her suddenly went slack and she was left to fall in a surprised heap on the stage. She got back up inside a second.

The two still guards, however,  _ did not _ .

“A-A, hello there… Um, sir?” Gabriel stammered as the large man stepped between her and him, hands on his hips while he surveyed the  _ deathly _ silent room in front of him. Even the band had stopped playing and she could see a few people in the crowd standing to leave. Gabriel seemed to catch his breath pretty fast, though, spreading his arms and smiling in as much of a welcoming gesture as he was probably capable of at the moment, “Welcome to our little get together! I’m… Rather sorry, but I don’t believe you were invited.”

“I wasn’t.” He answered simply while Paz stood and made space between her and what she  _ suspected _ might be dead bodies. “I don’t believe that’s  _ my  _ problem though, is it?”

“I’m afraid it is, yes.” Gabriel nodded as he turned to the curtain and his brows furrowed. Confused, he murmured, “Only… My guards don’t seem to be coming out to handle you.”

“No, they’re a bit… Indisposed at the moment.” The… Well,  _ demon _ , it looked liked, said with a wide, orange smile that lit up its pitch black skin almost like he was made of fire inside. In spite of his appearance, he was dressed impressively in a blue suit with a long-coat tail, complete with dress shoes and a fine, fitted pair of blue suit pants. Why  _ apparently Satan _ liked to wear all blue, she didn’t know.

And she was  _ far _ too scared to ask.

Orange eyes set under a series of short, sharp horns that ran around his head met hers and he smiled, bowing his head slightly and offering a thin, “Hello, little one. How are you?”

“Um…” She waved a hand around her unsurely, “I’m for sale, so… Not great, but could be worse?”

“How so?”

“I could be sold.” She shrugged, “To someone that, I dunno, likes to make girls into statues?”

“That’s fairly bad, yes, but no worries. Francois isn’t here tonight.” Her eyes widened at the idea of someone that  _ actually did that _ existing, and the creature laughed and waved her off. “So just relax for a moment. Victor will deal with you in a bit.”

“D-Deal with me…?”

“I’m afraid you have to pay to do anything with our little spitfire here, sir.” Gabriel said simply, making a bit more space between himself and the suited demon. “And to pay, you have to be invited. Through the  _ front _ door, typically.”

“Ah, but the back was so much more interesting. Especially when I’m in such a bad mood.” The demon smiled, waving a hand at the drawn curtain and sighing. “So many people to meet! So many walls to paint! Ah, you like red, right?”

“Are you implying…”

“Maybe.” He laughed and cocked his head to the side almost playfully, “Want to find out?”

“No, thank you, ah, Mister...?”

“You can call me Anarchy.” He said, crossing one arm over the small of his back and resting the other hand over his heart while he bowed politely. “And it’s so good to meet you all, too! But I’m afraid Victor and I have some… Business to conclude.”

“Business?” Gabriel asked while those that were trying to leave yanked on evidently  _ very  _ locked doors. A fact that only spread more panic across the room as the auctioneer started to sweat.

“Well, it would seem that those  _ near _ the top have started to have a few too many feelings of grandeur. So we’ve been…  _ Asked _ to do some spring cleaning, as it were. Victor?” At the cue, the masked man stood and rolled his shoulders like he was getting ready for something. Turning, the demon offered her a hand and smiled, “As for you… Well, you can come with me, or stay for the  _ festivities. _ ”

“And if I come with you?”

“Victor wishes to thank you for your help.” He explained simply, “He’s a man that likes to properly express his gratitude, so don’t worry about that.”

“I… Guess it’s better than staying here?” Quietly, she took his hand and let him drag her towards the curtain.

“Ah.” He hesitated as he pulled the curtain aside, and then paid her a smile. “I  _ do  _ suggest you keep your eyes on the ceiling, though. Victor asked that I leave things a bit clean for you. Something about your sensibilities.”

She only nodded and, when she slipped through the curtain with the man, did her best to ignore when the screaming started.

All she could think was,  _ ‘What the hell have I gotten myself into…?” _

**XXX~XXX**


	3. eternal sin ch 3 new home new disaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please enjoy and provide feed back

“What happens now…?” She asked when they stepped out of the auction house into an alley wide enough for a small truck to slip through. It was mostly normal, albeit a lot cleaner than any alley she’d hidden in over the years.

Unfortunately, that meant she couldn’t see any good places to hide, either, which put running and trying to lose Sat- Anarchy well into the ‘impossible’ category.

“I can feel you tensing up, you know.” The man chuckled, tightening the hand he had on her shoulder just enough to be threatening. “But please, Ortiz, I know you’re much smarter than that.”

“You know a lot about me?”

“I know you knew better than to run from Victor.” He answered, smiling that odd, almost fiery smile again and cocking his head back at the building. “He had a lot of praise for you for being able to sit at the same table as him without bolting or losing your stomach, so I heard plenty. But if you wouldn’t run from him, why would you even consider trying to run from me?”

“My feet will move if I try to, for one…”

“Ah, and there’s the wit and fire I saw in there!” He laughed, letting her go and waving a hand at the alley. “You’re amusing so I’ll tell you what. You want to run? Fine. I’ll give you a five second head start and we’ll just bet… Oh, I don’t know, right or left?”

“Right or left...?”

“Leg.” He answered sinisterly, “As in, which leg I’ll take if I catch you. So, right or left?”

“How about you just… Tell me if you’re going to kill me or not, and we not make a bet?” She asked before her courage could fail her. The creature’s spiny brows shot up at that before he laughed long and hard. Flushing and angry, she snapped, “W-What’s so funny, Satan?”

“First of all, I’m far more handsome than that horned bastard. Er, well, less horned bastard, I suppose. But ah, how cruel of you to insult my… Looks...” Anarchy paused for a moment, watching her closely before he coughed into a fist and shook his head. “Second of all… Well, I see why Victor was amused enough by you to not cut you loose and let what may be.”

“And…?”

“Third of all,” he smiled, “we don’t plan to kill you. Not right now, at least.”

“Did you have to add the last part…?”

“No.” He smiled, waving a hand along the alley-path and nodding in the same direction. “Shall we, or would you like to reconsider our little wager again?”

“No.” She answered after a few long, quiet moments. He raised a very slightly ridged brow and she frowned and admitted, “I’m not fast enough to get away…”

“No you’re definitely not, and for a very important reason!” He nodded, pacing around her stiffly until he was behind her. Then, with a wave over her shoulder, he summoned a swirling purple… Void of some kind, a few feet in front of her. She gasped but his hand found her shoulder before she could move. “Now, who wants to go to hell? See grandma?”

“I- Grandma!?”

“Here we go!” He said, shoving her forward so hard she stumbled and tumbled into the purple wash while he called after, “Put your head between your knees and count to five!”

Her terrified scream died in a strangled, starled squeak as the hole swallowed her and her stomach started to spin like a top on crack. It only lasted a few seconds, but she felt herself tumbling, ice cold and choking on dinner she knew she hadn’t had. She couldn’t see anything either, beyond a swirling mass of black and orange and violet that warped around her in a way she couldn’t possibly comprehend. So she did like she’d been told, and curled up into a ball with her head between her knees.

It… Helped, a bit.

At least until cold air and the smell of sterilizers hit her and she slammed into the tiled floor of some kind of clinic. Splayed out spread eagle, and with her stomach spinning more tricks than a hungry eighteen year old on a good corner, she groaned and looked around as best she could without actually getting up.

The room she was in was remarkably similar to the one she’d woken up in, enough she started to panic a bit. The room was tiled in white and sterile, like the one she’d woken up in, sure, but the differences popped out as soon as she looked. One wall was dominated by a long set of cabinets and counters topped by tools and instruments, and the one opposite it was filled by a pair of beds set foot to foot and with a set of drawers between them. And there was a fluorescent set in the ceiling, but the corner between the wall and the ceiling opposite the door was topped by a skylight with metal shutters.

And… She could see rain, pattering on the glass. Her first view of the outside since her nightmare had started… And it only made her want out even more.

“Window first.” She murmured as she rolled over and forced herself onto her feet. Her stomach spun for it but she grimaced and stood until it settled enough to move. Then, she looked up at the window and tried to think of how to reach it. 

The room itself was normal enough in height, with a slight slant at the back where the window was that lowered it. But that still put it at least two feet out of her reach, and the cabinets were too far to the side to reach the window from there. She checked the bed, just to be sure, but they were bolted to the floor.

Which was… Well, terrifying, really.

“Who the hell bolts beds to the floor…?” Victor, apparently, but why? She had no idea and eventually just shrugged it off with a small, clipped, “Doesn’t matter.”

The set of drawers weren’t nailed down, though, and they were only filled with bits of medical crap she didn’t recognize so they weren’t really that heavy. So she decided it would have to do, dragging it over to the back wall and climbing on top of it to try and reach the window’s lowest edge. Her fingers could just barely catch on the edge of the windowsill, nails catching on one as she strained harder and harder to reach.

But she was just a bit short, even with the little set of drawers…

“Damn it…” On a whim, she checked if the thin little mattresses on the medical cots would work, but those were attached to the metal frame. And the frame was nailed down… Which was insane, but again, it was Victor.

So probably par for the course.

The thin pillows weren’t attached, though, and neither were the blankets and sheets. They weren’t particularly thick, but she grabbed them anyways, piling them up on top of the set of drawers as best she could manage and then trying climbing on that to give her the couple of inches she needed. She almost managed to get a grip on the edge of the window before her hastily stacked pile did the obvious thing a bunch of pillows and sheets do when you try and stand on them.

They slipped out from under her, and she fell flat on her ass for her stupid idea.

“Well, that was stupid…” She groaned, rubbing the back of her head and sitting up.

“Oh yes, it very much was, my odd little friend.” An eerily familiar voice said, making her flinch and shoot to her feet. She was so fast, and so panicked, that she nearly tripped over the sheets and pillows that had followed her to the ground, but she managed not to and slipped behind the set of drawers for something between the two of them.

“D-Demon…”

“Now, now.” He chided, wagging a finger at her and chuckling, “I’m not sure why you think calling me that is fair-”

“Have you seen your face?”

“I have. Handsome thing, I enjoy looking at it.” He smiled, cocking his head to the side and asking, “What about it is so demonic to you, then?”

“What about it…?” She blinked and, in spite of everything happening, or maybe a bit because of it, she laughed. “You-You have horns, dude! And is that fire in your mouth?!”

“Odd… Very, very odd indeed.” He hummed, cocking his head to one side and then the other, like he was considering what she’d said. Weighing it. Weighing her. “Not to worry, though, because I love odd. Odd is interesting. And interesting is fun, don’t you think?”

”Nothing about today has been fun for me, malvado hijo de puta.”

“Now, now, Miss Ortiz.” The monster grinned, “Dos de nosotros podemos hablar español aquí, ya sabes, mi amiguita.”

“Mierda…”

“Maybe when you’re a bit older.” He chuckled dryly, “I prefer my women to be… Well, women, frankly.”

“Fuck off!”

“Hey, hey, there’s no reason to get testy my new little friend!” Anarchy laughed, pushing off the walls with a shoulder and spreading his arms wide in a peaceful gesture. “Even if I do enjoy how you react to everything, I’m only here to say you’re welcome.”

“Welcome…?”

“Yes!” He smiled, waving a hand around him, “To your new home! Courtesy of yours truly, of course.”

“My new… Home?” She blinked, confusion quickly giving way to panic as she looked around at the sterile room and its nailed-down furniture. “Vete a la mierda, you evil, crazy son-of-a-bitch! If you think I’m staying here, you have another thing coming.”

“Oh?” Anarchy laughed, “Do I really?”

“Yes!”

“But don’t you spend all your time shaking life a leaf whenever lil’ old Victor walks into the room?” She flinched before she could catch herself and he laughed, snapping his fingers and pointing at her, “See? Like that. Oh, you’re so scared of him, but you talk so big when he's not around. Don’t you?”

“N-No-”

“I don’t enjoy liars, Ortiz.” He hissed, fiery eyes boring into her own meaningfully. “I strongly suggest you consider that and try again.”

“Everyone knows Victor...” She explained quietly after a moment, resting a hand on her honestly kind of weak feeling set of blocking drawers. She shrugged and added, just as quietly, “I don’t know anything about you, so…”

“So I’m less frightening?” He asked, sounding more amused than anything else. “I broke into an illegal auction run by the highest, richest of society, threw you through a magic portal, and I’m less scary than Victor because… You know him?”

“I mean,” she grimaced, “when you put it like that…”

“Sounds a bit crazy, huh?” He laughed, shaking his head and waving his hand. Another portal opened up, this time under the set of drawers, and she squawked as she fell, smacking her face on the floor as the portal swallowed her little blocker and winked away. “Ouch, that looked like it hurt.”

“It did, asshole…” She groaned, pushing herself up on a hand and tapping a finger to her nose to see if it was broken or bleeding.

Luckily enough, she wasn’t, so she just rolled over and sat where she’d fallen. Because what else could she do right now?

“You know, sometimes, the skies are a beautiful shade of red…” She looked up and found her demonic abductor staring up above her, towards the skylight. Quietly, musingly, he went on, “But normally, that’s when a volcano is going off, or something is on fire. Mother Nature can be quite a cruel bitch sometimes, but ah, that natural cruelty can be so beautiful.”

“Do you… Always say weird shit, or are you just fucking with me?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it. Remember, I like my women to be women.” He smiled thinly and met her eyes for a moment, until she rolled hers. Then he shrugged and sighed, “But, well, it’s a little bit of both really. But if you think that’s strange, you should get ready, because your life is about to get much stranger?”

“Strange how…?” She asked, “Like, ‘rooms full of human dolls’ weird, or what?”

“Oh, you will see~” Anarchy laughed, sauntering over to the bed farthest from the door and plopping down on its edge. “You will definitely see? But, ah, your favorite man in the city should be here in just a minute.”

“My favorite-”

Before she could even ask, the door handle turned and her heart started to race as she put two and two together.

“Ah, Victor!” Anarchy beamed a wide, orange smile at the masked man as he stepped into the room and tugged his coat straighter on his shoulders. “Do tell me, how was your little… Stress relieving session with our wealthy friends?”

“Well enough.” He answered simply, looking at Paz and sighing. “You have made a mess of my clinical room.”

“I-I didn’t mean to-”

“Clean it up, don’t make excuses.” Victor cut her off, tutting quietly when she scrambled to do so and speaking to Anarchy again while she floundered with making the bed he wasn’t sitting on. “I do believe your message will go through fairly well though, Sir.”

“Sir…?” She murmured surprisedly while she smoothed out the sheets, doing her level best to not fuck up and get… Whatever Victor did to kill people.

“Oh, he just knows I like being called ‘sir’ like that.” Anarchy chuckled, waving a hand at her when she turned to look at him, eyes wide in surprise that he’d heard her. She ignored him, though, sighing, “Don’t worry, I won’t force you to call me that until… Oh, I don’t know, but I’m sure you will when I decide I want you to~”

“I-I, um…”

“Ignore him.” Victor chided her gently, stepping up beside her and making her heart freeze while he straightened the bed’s pillow and looked over her work. Idly, he went on, almost… Rambling, “He enjoys the reactions you give him, so, just ignore him. He’ll get bored eventually and move on to do something else.”

“Aww, why are you ruining my fun?”

“Because that is fun for me.” Victor answered simply in what Paz was almost brave enough to call a joke.

Maybe if he’d not been standing next to her… Or in the same building.  
“Onto more important matters then, Miss Ortiz.” Victor said as he turned to walk across the room to the longer cabinet. Tugging open a drawer and rifling through whatever was in it, he started to talk, “This house is not a small one, and there are many living here. This is all their home just as much as it is mine, and so any violations of the rules which protect them and make their lives easier will be taken as a personal sleight. Understood?”

“Y-Yes, Sir-”

“Victor.” He corrected firmly, “Not ‘Sir’. You haven’t the right to call me that.”

“The right…?”

“Victor dear has a bit of an… Opinion about certain behaviors.” Anarchy laughed, watching her lay the heap of sheets and blankets on the bed he was on and smirking so she knew he wouldn’t move. And she didn’t dare try to make him, so… He went on, chuckling, “Just got along with it, little volcán.”

Paz only nodded, already trying to plan a new way to get the hell out of wherever she was as soon as they weren’t watching her.

“Very good.” Victor hummed, laying tools that Paz could barely recognize beyond being ‘doctor shit’ out on the top of the counter. “Rule one, then. If you make a mess, any mess, you clean it immediately. No one else deserves to have to deal with your filth.”

“A-Alright…”

“And rule two, you eat what you put on your plate.” He said, turning to look at her through his mask. “Jhin is a splendid chef, and I will not have you waste his kindness. Or food. I trust a Rat understands both concepts, though.”

“Y-Yeah.” She nodded, folding her arms and rubbing one bicep with her hand. “Rats out there will kick your ass soon as look at you if they find out you wasted something you can put in your stomach.”

“Something we can agree on, then.” Victor nodded, “And the last rule you need to know, for now, is that you do not betray your housemates’ trust. Theft, assault, slander, I don’t care what you can think of. Do not do any of them.”

“I-I won’t.” 

“Good.” Victor hummed again, setting his tools out and looking them over for a quiet moment before sighing. “Anarchy, the room if you please.”

She turned in time to see a purple blip she guessed was a portal closing. Confused, she turned back to the masked terror and Victor chuckled.

“Oh, he likes to travel that way. You’ll adjust to it in time, I’m sure, or he’ll have a wonderful time being absolutely terrorized by him.” Victor explained, turning around and waving a hand at her. “Now then, come over here and raise your arms.”

“Why…?”

“You’re having a physical.”

“I’m having a what?”

“A physical.” He sighed, “A check-up. A medical inq-”

“I know what it is, why are you doing it?!”

“So you don’t die of the flu or some such nonsense?” He sighed and shook his head, “Once we’re done with that, I’ll take some blood and hair for testing, and then show you to a bath. And before you can even argue, you can either have your physical standing up or strapped to one of those beds. And I’m certain Anarchy would find it hilarious to throw you through a portal that annihilates your clothes and drops you in the bath, too, if you want to be… Uncooperative.” 

“You wouldn’t dare…”

“I just killed over a hundred people, but you think I wouldn’t strap you down for a check-up?” She frowned and, after a moment, stood up and raised her arms to either side. “Thank you very much, Miss Ortiz.”

“If you think I’m having a bath in your tub so you can record me or whatever, you’re high.”

“You will either bathe yourself, or be bathed, Ortiz. I don’t much care which, either.” He hummed simply, running his hand along her forearm and bicep probingly. She’d had a check-up, once upon a time, and this felt similar enough she wasn’t panicking about him trying to feel her up or anything. “Your musculature is impressive, if wiry. Classic malnutrition.”

“I’m a street rat.” She said as explanation, “And you are not threatening to bathe me.”

“Try me.” He warned, “I’m a doctor, I’ve had to do it to a few of the faces around the house already for the same reason I’d do it to you.”

She only sighed and frowned, letting the insane doctor, since apparently he was one of those, too, do what he wanted. This was better than being sold, at least, she figured...

XXX~XXX


	4. Eternal sin ch 4 meeting you're roommates

“You know, you’re a remarkably healthy nineteen year old for someone who has spent as long as you say you have on the streets.” Victor muttered after she’d gotten out of his physical, and then the bath he’d forced her to go take. “A few minor cavity risks, some vitamin deficiencies, and a slightly mis-healed old break on your leg, but nothing that needs correction. Unless the leg causes any pain?”

“It doesn’t.” She growled, tightening the fluffy blue robe he’d left in her bathroom around her and adding a low, “Where are my clothes, you ass?”

“Good, good.” He nodded, pacing back and forth around his medical room while she ran the brush he’d forced into her hands through her hair. “You’re healthy enough, need to update your vaccinations at some point, but you’ve been properly sanitized…”

“Yeah, and that shampoo smelled like shit, too.”

“It’s meant to do its job, not smell nice.” He waved her off flippantly, setting his little clipboard aside and turning to her. Folding his hands behind his waist he nodded and said, “Whenever you’re ready, then, we can get going.”

“Where?” She asked warily, eyeing the masked terror. “T-To some weird ass machine you want to use to check me over again or some-”

“To your room, actually.” He cut her off, “I’m assuming that after the day you’ve had, you would enjoy a rest. Am I wrong, Miss Ortiz?”

“...No.”

“Hm?” The ass hummed, cocking his head to the side, “Apologies, but did you say something?”

“Yes, you son-of-a…” She caught herself before she said something she might regret and sighed, “I’d like to get some actual sleep, yeah. It’s… Been a hell of a day.”

“I would suppose it has been, yes.” Victor chuckled, waving a hand for the door, “Shall we then?”

“I guess, yeah…” She murmured quietly, self-consciously tightening the little belt that held the robes together as she stood. When he turned to leave without a second glance backwards, she stammered, “B-But where are my clothes? Not exactly looking forward to walking around naked under here...”

“Oh, I had those burned.” Her surprise must have shown on her face, because he sighed and explained before she could say anything. “I figured you wouldn’t want them based on where they came from. And besides, they were disgusting, cheap little things.”

“That’s…” she blinked and grimaced, “Okay, fair, but I need something to wear.”

“Indeed you do, and I’m already working on arrangements to solve that particular problem.” Victor explained simply, waving a hand in her direction and chuckling. “Or did you think that running around in bath robes was normal?”

“Of course not!”

“You came up the hall like that after your bath, though.”

“T-that was like, five steps!” She argued shortly, “That’s so different, for obvious reasons!”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

“Very well, then.” He shrugged, like he was simply cataloguing the information and moving on. “Now, if you’re done, shall we? Unless you would prefer to just sleep in here, that is…”

“N-No!” She rushed to say, laughing it off when Victor chuckled, “Just, um… Let’s just go.”

The hallways of the house, or mansion or whatever this was, that she was in were clearly of the more ‘fancy’ variety. They were wide and tall, with vaulted ceilings lit by hanging chandeliers that the old thief in her knew were worth more than a few nights of food. Assuming you could sell the damn things, of course. They were set into a light, creme colored ceiling that matched the top halves of the walls and ended in dark, hard wood that ran down to make up most of the floor. A rich black carpet ran down the center of each hallway, lined to either side by doors, statues, and locked cases full of display weapons, jewelry, books, and all manner of rich person stuff.

Half this stuff could have fed her entire alley for a month…

The doors were the weirdest part, though, once they turned onto a specific hallway. Here, the doors were different. Instead of dark wood, some were metal or painted in bright colors and covered in drawings of all kinds of things. One was a dull grey and covered in hammers, nails, welding tools and fire. Another was a cool blue, tinged in a lighter color like ice and covered in fish and plants. It was like something out of an art house...

After a while, they came to a stop outside a plain wooden door that Victor gestured to with a hand. “Your room, Miss Ortiz. It’s rather plain and simple, I’ll admit, but… It should do its job well enough.”

“Okay…” She slipped by him and gave the surprisingly heavy door a little shove. Inside the room was dark and, like Victor had said, simple. A bed to one side of the door, a desk to the other, and a wardrobe right across from it and nothing else. There was even a television, set right across from the foot of the bed and hanging off the wall. “It’s wonderful…”

“Truly?” Victor asked, standing behind her and making her jump when she remembered he was there. She bounced away into the room but he ignored it, looking around. “I thought it was rather barren, personally…”

“Well, you aren’t a street rat.”

“Fair enough, fair enough.” He chuckled, stepping back into the hall and gesturing at the door across from her room. It was a dark grey, lined in a lighter silver color, but was otherwise a pretty normal looking door. “That is my door.”

“Yours?”

“Oh, do relax a bit, Miss Ortiz.” Victor sighed, “You’ll soon realize how very irrelevant it is where my door is right now. But for the moment, i suggest you get some rest. I’ll have a dress ready for you before the-”

“No dresses.”

“Come again?”

“No dresses.” She repeated, setting her jaw when Victor turned to her, head cocked to the side. “I’m not some pretty little thing to put on a street corner. And I’m not some girly shit, covered in frills and prancing around on heels, either. No. Dresses.”

“...Very well then.” He nodded, “I’ll manage something, I’m sure. Now, good night Miss Ortiz.”

With that, he pulled her door shut and she heard his heels on the floor, crossing the hall to his own room. Sighing, she paced over to her new bed and took a seat on it and… Good Christ it was soft and warm. So unlike her mat back in her tent in the alley. She lifted the blanket up and it even had a sheet, too.

“This can’t be real…” She sighed, flopping down on the bed and smelling the nice detergent that had been used to clean it. “But if it is, I’ve got to get the guys here… They’ll love it.”

XxX~XxX~XxX

When she actually fell asleep, she wasn’t really sure. All she knew was that one moment she was laying on the bed, watching the ceiling fan spin lazily, and the next she was flailing upright because of the loud banging on the door. She blinked slowly and took a breath, then set the pillow she’d grabbed on sheer instinct for something to fling at the door if she needed to aside. She groaned for a moment, rubbing her eyes until another knock sounded on the door.

“Miss?” A strange, but obviously feminine, voice called through her door. “Are you up?”

“I am now.” She called back, tying her robe tighter around her and asking, “What do you want?”

“To give you clothes…?”

“Oh. Uh, just a sec!” She blinked and stood up, walking over to the door and pulling it open. For a second, she almost thought no one was there, before someone cleared their throat and she looked down. 

The creature in front of her was… Weird, but obviously a woman of some kind

“Oh, uh…” She blinked, “Uh…”

“Just get it out of your system.” She chuckled, cocking her hip and resting a fist on it. “It always takes a minute when people meet me, so just chill. And, uh, don’t throw anything at me. Okay?”

“U-Um…”

“Because the last time one of you newbies did that, I had to pin them to a wall.” The weird little imp deadpanned, cocking a hip and tapping her foot impatiently. “And as much fun as that is, I’m not supposed to rough up the newbies.”

“Uhhhh…”

“Oh for fuck sake, she’s broken.” The imp sighed, waving a hand at herself and snapping, “Just take it in, process, and move on please.”

She was small was the first thing Paz realized, looking at her. She only came up to Paz’s waist, and even Paz wasn’t exactly what someone would call tall. Little horns poked out over each of her pointy, too-large ears, curling ever so slightly kind of like a ram’s did. They weren’t made of bone, though. Instead they were the same off-blue color as the rest of her, flowing smoothly up out of her hair.

She looked like a little blue demon of some kind… Dressed up like one of those maids from the cafes downtown, with the frilly skirts and ‘Yes, Masters’.

“Good?” She asked after a minute. Paz only nodded, still more than a little surprised by the imp’s appearance. She smiled and nodded, offering a little black box up to her and saying, “Okay, then. My name’s Budhu, try rolling the ‘who’ sound onto the ‘boo’ if it’s too hard, and here’s some clothes for you.”

“T-Thanks…”

“No problem.” She smiled, “You’d be surprised how often people have trouble with it. I find it’s easier to just get ahead of it.”

“Smart.” Paz murmured, propping the box against the doorframe and opening it with a hand. Then she blinked and turned to Budhu, “Is this… A butler’s uniform?”

“Got it in one, Missy.” The little imp grinned, showing off way too many teeth for Paz’s comfort level. “Victor said you don't like dresses, so this was the best he could find on short notice. Just temporary anyway, though.”

“It is?”

“Mhm.” She nodded, “Until he takes you out, you lucky girl you.”

“T-Takes me out…?”

“You’ll see.” The imp smirked again, eyes narrow and almost… Predatory, in a way Paz couldn’t quite describe. Then she relaxed and waved for her to go, “But go and get dressed already! Gotta get you down to the kitchen for breakfast.”

“Is everyone in this house either crazy or an actual demon?” She sighed, tossing the little box on her bed. “But I guess I don’t really have a choice… And it’s at least not a damn dress.”

The suit itself was a bit more ‘mafia’ than ‘butler’, at least in Paz’s humble opinion. It was all black, of course, with a dark blue shirt she was supposed to wear under it. But it was thickly made, with padded shoulders and stiff sleeves. The shoes were also boots instead of shoes, hence the ‘mafia’ idea, but they were comfortable and new-ish, so she was not about to complain. It all came with a tie, too, but she was not about to spend an hour trying to figure out how to do that damn thing.

Or ask tiny Satan outside how to do it either. She did not wanna know what whatever she actually was would do with something she needed tied in a knot around her throat.

When she was finally dressed, she ran her fingers through her hair and turned to open the door. The little maid whistled when she spotted her, eyes roaming up and down her, and Paz flushed, “W-What?”

“Nothing, nothing, you just cut a nice line in that get-up.” Budhu grinned, still eyeing her up and down, “Granted, not as fancy or smancy as a nice dress, but eh. You pull off the whole ‘rough gangster’ look pretty well. And if it works, then work it, right, girl?”

“I-I guess?”

“Then you’re a good guesser.” The imp laughed, turning and waving for her to follow, “Come along now. My love is almost done with breakfast.”

“How can you tell?” Paz certainly couldn’t smell anything, at least beyond the wood smell around her.

“Oh, you’ll figure that out for yourself in a bit.”

Paz only shrugged, following along behind the little imp as they wound through the manor’s maze-like hallways. Like before, the hallways they passed through looked basically the same, and Paz had no idea where they were going. Mostly because it felt like the entire place had been purposefully made to play hell with her sense of direction. Even the sun didn’t help, on the few occasions they passed through a hallway with a skylight built in for… Whatever reason they’d done that.

But hey, the sunlight was warm and made everything pop that little bit more, so she wasn’t complaining.

Then, something hit her nose and her stomach rumbled so loud she was sure everyone in the building heard it. “T-that smells amazings…”

“That, Missy, is how I know it’s almost ready. I could smell it in my room.” Budhu chuckled, “Come on, almost there, now.”

They rounded a couple more corners before they got to where they were headed, which she could tell from the smell alone. She could smell all kinds of sweet, fresh bread and meat and something else she couldn’t quite place but that made her stomach growl. A few normal-ish looking people shuffled around her with food in their hands, but she didn’t get a good look at them before they were gone, thanks to the silver trays they were carrying that had her transfixed like magic. They looked like staff, though, toting off food to wherever it was meant to go. 

And of course there was big wooden door with ‘fuck off until I’m done cooking or you’ll be the next roast’ that just… Made it a bit easier to guess.

“Oh, don’t mind that, he won’t mind.” Budhu chuckled when Paz saw it and froze for a moment, old instincts warning her against people that took an effort to write out that they wanted you to fuck off. She paid the little imp a very disbelieving look and her chuckle evolved into a high, lilting laugh, “Okay, maybe he would, but not with me here.”

“You’re sure…?”

“Yep.” She smiled and laid a hand on the doorknob, “You’ll see.”

Inside the kitchen was… Well, a kitchen.

One wall was dominated by a huge preparation area with three sinks lined together, and rows of knives hanging from the wall underneath a long series of old, worn looking cabinets. All of which were remarkably clean, considering the kitchen was being used still. The center of the room was taken up by a large table half-covered by little trays of what she guessed to be food. One of those weird portals opened up over it, filled by a green light instead of Anarchy’s weird, bright colors, and a couple hands slipped down to take it.

The other two walls were filled by lines of stoves, slow-cookers and roasters, most of which were quiet but dirty. A handful, though, were still working. Pans and pots boiling and frying under a large man’s watch.

He was big, taller than Anarchy or Victor, but lithe, with corded muscles that his ratty looking black tank-top did nothing to hide. His skin was pale, too, but crisscrossed by dozens of long, thin scars that curved along his arms, shoulders and what of his chest she could see. When he turned, she could see some on the sides of his stomach, too, and figured he had to be roughly covered in them, but his thick cargo pants and tank hid any more from sight.

He turned at the quiet sound of the door shutting, eyes narrow and brows knitted down of a mop of loosely brushed white hair and over a neatly kept beard. Then he set his knife down and turned with a heavy, thundering step of what had to be steel-tipped boots and spread his arms.

“Sweetheart!” He crowed, stooping as the little imp rushed over to him and scooping her up. He hugged her and then set her on his shoulder and turned, grim face split by a smile that was only made eerier for the dark eyes and scarred body that wore it. “An’ who’s this now? ‘Nother lil’ lamb come runnin’ into the field?”

“Mhm.” Budhu explained, one hand running through his hair and combing it back. “Stole something off someone and ran into Victor. And I thought I told you to use extra conditioner, you Irish bastard?”

“Aye, and I did.” He slapped a hand at her that missed by a mile, then waved with it and grinned, “Heard about ya. Damn fool of a girl that ain’t got the common sense an’ survival instinct god gave a cow.”

“Survival-”

“Well how else did ya run into that goddamn bastard?” He laughed, turning to stir something in a pot and letting his shoulder mounted assistant drop some onions in. “I can tell where he is in the damn dark. Can feel it, like a damn chill up my back. But you ran into the bastard? Fuckin’ crazy or suicidal, one of ‘em.”

“Jhin Haggard, I will shave your damn head!”

“Do what ya want, it’ll be back in the mornin’ thanks to that teleportin’ bastard and his goddamn tricks.” He turned on a heel at that, metal spoon slapping down on the table as a portal the size of her head snapped closed. “And stop stealin’ shit what ain’t yours! Goddamn… Ass monkey son of a…”

“Jhin…”

“Oh, come off it, sweetheart.” He sighed, “Little shit keeps stealin’-”

“Is it really stealing if I own the house?” Anarchy said and, when she looked up, she could see his head sticking out of a little portal that expanded after a second. Then, a banana peel slipped through and she had to bounce to the side to dodge it. “Whoops.”

“What is wrong with you?!” She shrieked, stooping to pick it up and hurling it back at him. It splattered against the ceiling and stuck there and, slowly, Anarchy turned to look back at her. “I’m… Not a very good shot, sue me.”

“I mean, that wasn’t bad…”

“Kiss my ass!” She shouted back, “A-And stop stealing Jhin’s stuff!”

“Again,” Anarchy sighed, “I own the- Ugh!”

Slowly, quietly, Anarchy peeled the piece of onion she’d thrown off his face and she blinked and looked down at her hand. Off to her side, Jhin muttered, “Crazy little bi-”

“Jhin!”

“Well, now I feel better about doing this before you head out.”

“Head out?” She blinked, “Wait, doing wha-”

Suddenly, she felt the ground give out from under her and looked down to see the warping mess that was one of Anarchy’s portals. She squawked, but then the view of the kitchen was gone and she was falling through the whatever of the portal’s insides. And she still hadn’t even had her breakfast…

Or so she thought, before a little wrap shot by her faster than she could see and then slapped her in the face as she caught up to it.

Sighing, she grabbed it and growled, “Fucking Anarchy…”


End file.
